A prospection on membrane-based strategies for downstream processing of surfactin

Surfactin is one of the most powerful biosurfactants (surface activity, antiviral, antibiotic, and antitumor properties). Synthetic surfactants are derived from the petroleum industry, a finite source. However, the production costs of surfactin, mainly downstream processing, hinder its application at the industrial scale. Two-step ultrafiltration (UF) using polymeric membranes reaches a high recovery yield (>67%) and purity (up to 96%). This review aimed to critically discuss the current state of the art and future trends on surfactin recovery by membrane strategies, in particular the unexplored ceramic membranes. Although ceramic membranes have been successfully used in the separation of phospholipids and other biocompounds, only polymeric membranes have been studied in the downstream processing of surfactin. In addition to their proven potential in the separation of biocompounds, ceramic membranes still have higher chemical resistance that allows the use of organic solvents, such as those used in the purification of surfactin by two-stage ultrafiltration; and also allow for more aggressive chemical cleaning, longer lifetime, and consequently lower maintenance costs, which makes them more attractive economically, in particular for a long-term operation.

Automated summary

Surfactin is a powerful biosurfactant with various properties, but its industrial application is hindered by high production costs. Two-step ultrafiltration using polymeric membranes offers high recovery yield and purity for Surfactin, but the potential of ceramic membranes remains unexplored. Ceramic membranes have higher chemical resistance and economic attractiveness for long-term operation.